Kitchen Tips

Kitchen Tips 

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• When making idli mixture,mix it thoroughly the night before
• . Put it in to a deep bowl and tie a thick cloth on top of it. 
• Don't stir the batter next morning. 
• Just pour the dough into the molds and you will be surprised at the light spongy idlis you get.
• To peel tomatoes quickly place the tomato on a fork and hold it over the gas flame till the skin busts. 
• Keep turning it for a few minutes, then peel with out any trouble.
• To prevent coconut oil from freezing in winter, add a few drops of castor oil to the coconut oil.Shake well and store.
• To make karela's (bitter gourd) less bitter, rub them with wheat flour and salt and set aside for half an hour.
•  Wash thoroughly before cooking them.
• To prevent boiled potatoes from breaking,boil over a low flame and remove immediately when soft enough
• When making mooli roti(radish parathas) the radish juice which is squeezed out after grating, should not be thrown away as it contains most of the nourishment. 
• Use it to knead the dough for the parathas instead of water.
• To make rava kesari roast the rava in ghee and add milk. Soak for 30 minutes in the milk. Then make sugar paku and make rava kesari.

Pavakai Poriyal,(Karela fry)

Lots of people do not like pavakai(karela because of its bitterness).I was one of them. But after tasting shashi's karela fry, I liked this curry very much.Karela is good for diabetes

Ingredients

• Karela(pavakai)............4
• Potato..........................1
• Onion...........................1
• Green chili.....................2
• Ggarlic..........................2 pearls
• Chili powder.................1tsp
• Garam masala...............1tsp
• Mustard seeds..............1tsp
• Jeera(cumin seeds).......1tsp
• Hing.............................1 pinch
• Salt to taste
• Oil 

Method

• Wash, wipe and remove the seeds .
• Cut the pavakai, onion and potato into small pieces.
• Heat a pan with 3tbsp of oil add mustard seeds, jeera(cumin seeds). 
• When the mustard crackles add the, garlic onion and potato . 
• Fry them till the potato becomes tender.. 
• Add the pavakai pieces,turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder salt and hing.
• Cover and cook them all in a medium flame.Stir it in between. 
• When the pavakai becomes crispy , change into a bowl. Serve with chapathi or sambar/rasam rice

Chapathi (Phulkas)

Chapathi Dough

Phulkas

How to make soft chapathis? I tried the chapathis  the following way and out came out soft.

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Ingredients

• Wheat flour......... 2 cups
• Warm water .......1cup
• Oil.... ..................1tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• Mix flour, salt oil in a bowl and add water slowly and mix the flour to make a dough.
• Apply oil on the dough and keep for sometime.(You can add warm milk instead of water)
• The dough should not be hard.
• Divide the dough into small balls.Roll the dough into thin round shape.
• Heat a tawa and place the chapathi let it change the colour then turn it to the other side..small babbles appear. 
• Remove it and put it directly on the high flame.
• With in a minute the chapathi starts to puff fully . 
• Remove it and apply ghee. This type of chapthis are called phulkas.

How to make yogurt at home

How to make yogurt(curd) at home

• Boil one litre milk in a pan. On a medium heat.until the milk rises. 
• Put off the gas and let the milk cool down. 
• This process kills the bad bacteria in the milk.

• Pour the milk in a glass bowl. Put your finger see that the the milk is warm. 
• Add 1 tsp cultured curd and stir thoroughly.
• Keep this bowl in the oven and put the light on.
• Next day you will perfect yogurt.

Vegetable Pulav

I







ngredients

• Basmati Rice……........... 2 cups
• Red Bell Pepper…..........1
• Beans……………..........1cup
• Peas………………........1/4 cup
• Garam Masala…….........1tsp
• Chili Powder……….......1/2 tsp
• Clove………………......4
• Carada mom (Elaichi)…...4
• Cinnamon (Pattai)……   1” l piece
• Ghee………………......2tbsp
• Jeera……………….....1/2 tsp
• Salt to Taste

Method

• Cut the bell pepper ,beans and carrot in length wise.
• Heat a pan with oil add cloves, cinnamon jeera and cardamon and add the vegetables and fry them with soaked rice,chili powder, garam masala and salt 
• (Soak the rice for 15 minutes and remove the water)
• After 5 minutes add 4 cups of water and cover it. 
• When the rice is cooked add the ghee. 
• Serve hot with raita..

Chakka Erisheri(Traditional Jackfruit curry)

Chakka Eriseri

Chakka Pieces

To grind

To fry

Chakka with water to cook

Chakka Erissery

In Kerala we make edichakka tuvaran, chakka puzukku, chakka kottu and Chakka eriseri during chakka season.We eat ripe chakka pieces with honey.Very tasty.

There are two types of jack fruit. 1. koozhachakka 2. varikkan chakka. Ripe Varican chakka is very sweet..

Chakka Eriseri(Traditional Jack fruit curry)\

Ingredients

• Chakka........................1/2 kg
• Grated Coconut...........1 cup
• Red Chillies..................2
• Jeera(Cumin Seeds).....1/2 tsp

For seasoning

• Grated Coconut...........2tbsp
• Mustard Seeds............1tsp
• Curry Leaves...............few
• Salt to Taste

Method

• (Raw) jack fruit seed is removed from the thin outer part of chakka.
• Cut these into small pieces. Boil 3cups of water adding chakka pieces and turmeric and salt.
• Grind the grated coconut. chili and jeera,
• When the chakka is cooked add the ground paste and stir it well.
• Heat a pan with little oil, add grated coconut, mustard seeds jeera and curry leaves.
• When the coconut become red add to the chakka eriseri.
• This curry is very tasty.
• Serve with rice.
• I tried with the frozen raw jack fruit and the chakka eriseri came out very well.

Palak Paratha

Ingredients

• Palak………… 1 cup chopped and steamed
• Wheat flour…..2 cups
• Chili powder….1 tsp
• Hing…………..a pinch
• Oil…………… 2 tsp
• Turmeric………1/4 tsp 
• Salt to taste
•  

Method

• Boil the palak with very little water and turmeric.
• Drain the palak and cool it to room temperature... 
• Add wheat flour, chilli powder, salt, hing and oil make a thick dough.
• Cover the dough and keep it for 20 minutes
• Make small balls and roll them like parathas.
• Heat a tawa and place the chapthi on it. 
• When one side is cooked add ghee or oil cook that side and turn the other side. 
• And cook. Serve the parathas with chutney/bhaji/raita..

Gawar Bhaji (Cluster Beans Bhaji)

Ingredients

• Gawar……………...!/2 kilo
• Ajwain /Omam………..2tsp
• Mustard Seeds…….. 1tsp
• Turmeric Powder……1/2 tsp
• Chapathi Atta …….......5 tbsp
• Ajwain…………........ ½ tsp
• Asafoetida………….. A pinch
• Chili Powder,,,,….......1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste

Mix atta and salt and make  chapathi dough.

Method

• Wash and cut the cluster beans in to 1” long.
• Heat a pan with oil add mustard seeds and ajwain.
• When the mustard seeds crackle add the gawar/ beans, salt and turmeric powder.
• Take a little dough and make a very small round shape( a coin) add with the beans.
• It also cooks with the beans . No need to add water. 
• Cook till the beans along with the small round shaped chapathi . 
• It has the mixed taste of bitter, salty and herbal flavor..
• Very tasty bhaji. Serve with hot with chapathi

Khadi

Khadi

(Eat this hot kadhi with Kichadi.. It is good for the throat. I got this recipe from my daughter-in –law.)
Ingredients

• Buttermilk…….. ............2cups
• Besan(Gram Flour)….....2tblsp
• Green Chilli……............3
• Ginger…………............1 small piece
• Cumin Seed……...........1tsp
• Methi Seeds………......2tsp
• Asafoetida……………1/4 tsp
• Turmeric Powder……..1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves…………few 
• Salt to Taste

Method.

• Take 1 cup of fresh curd and whisk by add hing 1 cup of water.
• Add the besan and mix nicely with out lumps..
• Crush the chilli and ginger, add to the butter milk.
• Heat a pan with oil add cumin seeds, curry leaves. 
• When it crackles add turmeric, asafoetida and buttermilk, methi seeds and salt, 
• Stir continuously and boil in a low flame.If the kadhi is thick add little water..
• This kadhi is very easy to make.

Tip
You can add bajjias(pakodis) into the hot kadhi.

Methi Paratha

Methi Paratha

Ingredients

•  Wheat flour (atta)............. 4 cups
• Methi leaves ...................1 bunch
• Red chilli powder......,,,,,..2 tsp
• Coriander powder...........1 tsp
• Turmeric powder.............1/2 tsp
• Hing...............................1 tsp
• Ghee............................. 1/4 cup
• Oil...................................1 tsp
• Curd..............................1 cup
• Salt to taste

 

Method

• Wash, dry and cut the methi leaves.
• Add flour, chilli powder, coriander powder, hing, salt,oil and curd and make a thick dough(like chapathi dough).
• Divide the dough into small balls. Roll each ball into round shape.
• Heat a thava and place the paratha.
• Turn over the other side and apply ghee.
• Fry both sides till it becomes golden colour.
• Serve the hot parathas with raita.